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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

“...it's like this. Sometimes, when you've a very long street ahead of you, you think how terribly long it is and feel sure you'll never get it swept. And then you start to hurry. You work faster and faster and every time you look up there seems to be just as much left to sweep as before, and you try even harder, and you panic, and in the end you're out of breath and have to stop--and still the street stretches away in front of you. That's not the way to do it.

You must never think of the whole street at once, understand? You must only concentrate on the next step, the next breath, the next stroke of the broom, and the next, and the next. Nothing else.That way you enjoy your work, which is important, because then you make a good job of it. And that's how it ought to be.

And all at once, before you know it, you find you've swept the whole street clean, bit by bit. what's more, you aren't out of breath. That's important, too... ”―Michael Ende,Momo

I had lunch today with my pals Barbara and Laura at Duke Gardens. If you live anywhere near Duke University in Durham, it is worth a drive to visit the gardens right now, spring is all over the place, it is simply breathtaking. We packed a lunch and sat on the edge of the koi pond and talked about art and life. I need to be in nature and with good friends like I need air to breathe.

I had over 600 page views yesterday, seven page views on my petition tab, what?! seven?!?
times a wasting as you continue to get zapped with unregulated waves of radiation. Do you really want to live like this? Do you want these trees and plants in your life?
SIGN the petition!!!!!! Thanks to those that did already!!!

Monday, April 29, 2013

I received an email today asking me to sign a petition at Change.org supporting hearings to have the EPA regulate RF emissions instead of the FCC. I have added a tab up top with my header, you can click on the tab and see the petition.

PLEASE take a moment and READ the information, and SIGN the petition. It's sort of long, a lot of information there, but you can do it, pour yourself a cup of tea and challenge that smart brain of yours! It's good information.

This is important, have you noticed how many cell towers are popping up lately? On our way to see Wesley the other day, an hour's drive, we counted at least seven or eight towers that we didn't remember seeing before. They are growing faster than trees! Do you want to live near one of these?

RF emissions are my pet annoyance right now. I feel like I live in a giant microwave, and nobody asked me if I wanted to, they just shoved me in it!

I know I know...... my blog is getting a bit political, but, I'm sorry. I plan to live another 50 years and I want my child and my grandchildren to have a nice place to live without worrying about the latest cause of cancer. EVERYTHING out there is causing cancer and I don't want it! I watched it kill my dad, it sucks, man!

Forget Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, Blogger.
I have found a time suck to end all time sucks.
We downloaded Hulu through our XBOX, the thing where I usually sit for hours in a mind numbing game of Skyrim? Now it's mind numbing time watching documentaries....

OMG! Who knew? Welcome to the 21st century.
We have been so frustrated with cable programming to the point where we hardly turn on the TV anymore. When we do all there is to watch are ads selling you drugs, talk about drug pushers, the network TV companies are the biggest pushers ever. Local news is the very worst of all, it's like watching a police blotter every night catching you up on the shootings, robberies, stabbings, and the latest NC politician to get caught and arrested. There are maybe three or four shows a week that we like, however, for the most part it is a total waste of time to sit in front of a TV that has Time Warner cable programing. Finally we sat down and downloaded Hulu. WOW! It is so fun! There are so many great things out there being produced that I had no clue about, wonderful documentaries, wonderful programming, even the commercials aren't too bad. I learned a lot today, and didn't feel too guilty about spending an entire rainy Sunday in my big old wicker rocker, wrapped in a down comforter, drinking tea and educating myself with the TV, of all things! It's a new world out there :-) I am so hopeful for my soon to be graduating film student daughter, the doors are wide open for opportunities with sources like this!

One example: This documentary came out in 2008, and I am just finding out about it, and I live in a very progressive town. It's fantastic, it really opened my eyes, it made me cry for our children who don't even know how real food grows. Why have I not heard about this film? It's important! It's great!

And this one. God BLESS our farmers, and thank you for the food you give us. Not the big agri-business but the true hard working local farmers.

I want a FARM!!!!!!!!!

Did you know that Martha Stewart has her own network? I know I know..... but listen, I used to be a Martha junkie, if she said it, I was all about it, I was young and trying to learn how to keep a house, she knows how to teach you these things. I did watch a very cool episode today on her chickens and her coop, that I'm sure she must have had someone build for about $100,000, but still I got some great tips for the day when I can have chickens.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

It's been a lazy weekend around here, cooking good food, eating outside on Saturday, some healthy juicing, and sitting in the yard reading. This morning it's raining, cold. I'm having hot chocolate, more reading. Slovenly behavior.
I picked up this book at the local thrift store for 50 cents. It's a really good book, lots of inspiration for eating well and nourishing the spirit. One statement I really liked was this:
Turn around the line "you are what you eat" to "you eat what you are".... hmmmmm.... what are you?
I suppose I am a giant Hershey chocolate bar, haha!

This was my horoscope this morning:

You may be a bit unclear about your professional direction today, Libra. Your motivation has disappeared without warning. What happened? It may be that you need to become involved in projects that have more universal resonance. Projects of a narrow scope that concern only your interests no longer hold your attention.

Friday, April 26, 2013

This is the last of my Shakori posts. It was a great week, this has been a slow week back to the land of normal.
I added up all of my sales, transferred money from propay to my account and while sales were ok and I had great fun, total sales would be bleak for someone trying to make a living doing this. I covered expenses, gave Wes money for her house, and had some to spare that will pay for shows and supplies, but I'm not running out to Nordstrom's to buy a cute outfit anytime soon.

I basically sold pendants...... and small heart dishes and some ornaments. I usually sell a barn or two, so I brought some, also brought them back home. My largest sale to one person was for $50 and that was three pendants that were $20 each and he asked for a deal. Ohhhhh those people that think they are at a yard sale! But I gave him one because he asked nicely and was genuinely interested in my work.

I had some really beautiful work in my tent. Everyone said so, and said how they wished they had some money. I wished they had some money too, so they could give it to me.

My neighbor kindly brought the most beautiful draperies for her henna tent. You can't tell by this photo but they sort of looked like Indian saris and they were the exact colors of my Rick's turquoise glazed vases. A perfect backdrop.

Speaking of my neighbor. Remember I mentioned in my post after the Hillsborough show that I always seem to manage to be next to the "it" tent? Happened again. This time it was Rosemary and she is the most remarkable face painter/henna artist I have ever seen at a festival. She sat down on her stool Thursday evening and started painting and except for two lunches I saw her throw down behind her tent in about two seconds, and one phone call, I never saw her leave her stool. There was a line at her tent for four days, her prices started at $15. Gerry and I figure she must have made around $5000.
For painting a temporary snake, fairy, tiger, henna pattern, blah blah..... on a small child's face.....
sigh........ just shoot me now. I had something to offer for $15 that would be a permanent token of a good time at Shakori, but no, people chose to pay for paint on their child's face, then come into my tent saying they wished they had some money.

This is getting old, I'm getting weary of this, I can tell you that. I love these kind of shows, they are fun, the people are interesting, but I can't keep making work to sit on the shelves in my studio. It's no fun.
I love making these barns. But if it's over $30, it ain't selling. And.... to put the proverbial cherry on top, the day I got home from Shakori, I had an email from another gallery wanting to send some things back.

I probably should just pretend to be cheerful and say, oh yeah, life is great, sales are great, and live in a chair of bowlys, but I'm trying to figure out where I want to go from here. I like making pendants and if they are gonna sell I'll keep making them, but where is the challenge in that, the discovery, the excitement of something new and wonderful? I love making barns, but the shelves are full, no more shall I make. I don't want to apply for exhibitions and emerging artists competitions, and put myself through judgings and juries anymore, been there done that, hated it. The CDCG show was a waste of time and money. So where does that leave me? Etsy, holiday sales, outdoor festivals..... I'm right back where I started.

The other thing I find happening is I have sort of lost my love for the whole clay thing. I still love pottery itself, but I no longer get a head rush when someone says the name Michael Cardew or Shoji Hamada, like I used to. I no longer get a heart flutter when I see a clay book in a used bookstore. I don't care about shino glaze recipes. The crush is over, I'm afraid. I still love raku, but read again on the same blog another mention of it being the black velvet painting of the pottery snobbery world. This is another thing that pisses me off. Get off the dang high and mightyness of this clay thing. The people out there buying pottery don't give a shit, they just buy what they think is pretty and will match their blue curtains.

Of course there are the truly enlightened clay buyers, I know, and the truly gifted clay makers. But I am neither. I can't afford to be a collector and I am too lazy to put in the time to make the perfect wood fired yunomi. Much less try and find someone to buy said yunomi or work to get the press so that people think I am the shit and rush to buy anything with my name on it. It's a game I'm not interested in at this point.

I was shopping for props on Wednesday and ended up at an antique mall near Seagrove. There was soooo much Seagrove pottery in there for sale. Beautiful traditional old time pottery, wish I could fill a room with all of it. Then I stopped in a Goodwill store nearby, and saw a beautiful wood fired mug on the shelf for $4. It sort of makes me feel foolish for having a $150 price tag on one of my barns. But the market set that price for me a few years ago, and now the market is poor.

At this point I feel like a plane up in the air in a holding pattern, circling the airport until there is a place to land. I have no idea right now where to land. I seem to be thinking of larger raku vases.... put some black velvet pottery out there for those who are less informed of the traditions of Leach and Hamada, those that just like pretty turquoise.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not writing this from a place of sadness and despair. I am really happy right now, I'm working in the theater, building a set next week, loving that, love shopping for props, making props, and I just had a fun show for four days, sold a few things. I'm just trying to figure out how to not waste money with this clay business. Keep it simple I suppose, make inexpensive items and try to find more venues for selling. And then there is the weaving thing that I have yet to figure out.....

When my pal Susan read my Tarot cards, nothing came up on my clay side, it was a black hole. But the cards exploded on the fiber side. But those are baby steps right now, I am so far away from making any money from weaving.

Like many of you, I took a class at a local studio, clay seduced me, and the obsession bug bit me hard. But why the obsession? A good friend of mine talks about the discovery of clay being the thing she loves, and I think it has been the same for me. The learning, the process. But the making a living part of it sucks for me. I don't like that part one tiny little bit. I just like the making.... the selling is putting a big old damper on my clay party right now! So the plan is, if I have to sell, which is necessary in order to make more, I am going to sell where I am at least having a good time. I am on the downhill side of my life now and times a wasting. What I want more than anything these days is to surround myself with people that have joy for life, music in their souls. I want to walk through aisles and aisles of antiques, I want to stand in a field of sheep, I want to eat farm grown vegetables, I want to walk in the woods,

and like Lucinda said in her song, I want to watch the ocean bend.........
life is short, we need to do some living!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Today I got in my car, put in my Lucinda Williams CD, drove down Chicken Bridge Road, through Silk Hope, and on to my favorite antique shops. I found a picture of Jesus for your birthday, Wesley. I think you will like it. I thought about the day you were born and all the days since. I'm so glad you are my child, so proud of you, so happy that we have walked side by side for 20 years.
Love you so much, Happy Birthday!
xo

you were right, this is a good song for me....
I've listened to it over and over

VenturaI think I'm gonna make myself a little something to eat,Get a can down off the shelf, maybe a little something sweet.Haven't spoke to no one, haven't been in the mood,Pour some soup, get a spoon, stir it up real good.Go out with a friend, they know the music might help,But I can't pretend - I wish I was somewhere else.I wanna watch the ocean bend,The edges of the sun,thenI wanna get swallowed upIn an ocean of love.Put on my coat, go out into the street,Get a lump in my throat, and look down at my feet.Take the long way home, so I can ride around,Put Neil Young on and turn up the sound.Drive up the coastline, maybe to Ventura,Watch the waves make signs out on the water.I wanna watch the ocean bend,The edges of the sun,thenI wanna get swallowed upIn an ocean of love.Stand in the shower, clean this dirty mess,Give me back my power, and drown this unholyness.Lean over the toilet bowl, and throw up my confession,Clense my soul, of this hidden obsession.I wanna watch the ocean bend,The edges of the sun,thenI wanna get swallowed upIn an ocean of love.

I was at Shakori to work, but I was also there to have fun with my family, friends and enjoy all the good music. Best of both worlds definitely. Money I made went for a deposit on a house Wesley found to rent next year. She earned it booth sitting for me while I took a few breaks :) not a bad way to fund college expenses.

Wes also worked with her dad shooting a short feature on Grassroots music. Gerry was on vacation but also working, shooting video with audio assistance from our future film maker. He has much editing to do, but as soon as it's finished I'll post it. I've seen some of the footage, sooooo great!

We were all working, but it was important to have a few brews with friends, 12 hour days require this.

festival child, this is how she grew up, I think we are pretty good parents, giving her this life!

a toast with friends, life is sweet.......
Yesterday I unpacked most of my stuff and washed everything that smelled that wood smoke. I never got out of my pajamas, and took naps and went to bed early. Feeling much recovered today.

The power company came back yesterday. Seems they put the wrong meter on the house! The installation dude thought something was wrong with the one we had and put an even STRONGER signal meter on!!!! I was so disappointed the first night the new meter was on the house. I thought I was going to finally sleep soundly and instead I woke up at my usual 3am with a raging headache and thought maybe the meter wasn't the problem after all.
Happy to report there were no headaches last night with the right meter on! We did find out that we have had the smart meter for four years! Just about the time all of our strange symptoms started, imagine that. Wesley started getting chronic fatigue and joint pain, ear ringing, and that's about the time the skin cancer on my back started to develop, Gerry's intestinal trouble started..... so many things doctors could never explain, it makes you wonder doesn't it? We asked the power co. rep his opinion and he said to us "I just don't know". Well if HE doesn't know, I sure don't want the thing!
I have to say, through all of this, every contact I have had with Progress Energy has been nothing but professional and understanding. They worked quickly to get us a new meter, they have been most helpful, every single person I have talked to, with the exception of the first girl that told me I "had no choice" and set me off to begin with. I don't have all the answers, the science is not there to prove or disprove any of this, but I just want to be able to make a CHOICE whether I want rf waves pulsing through my house or not. And now I don't have them, thank God!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I'm back home after a week in the woods in Silk Hope, hanging out with some of the most outrageous, kind, gentle, loving and creative people on the planet.

My little home for the past week

Family with me. Great music, good food, wonderful conversations, new friends, old friends

Healing..... I had a chiropractic session the last day and I feel like a new person. I never knew my back and neck could crack in so many strange and wonderful ways

My morning walk for chai and burrito wraps

Nice to have old friends show up, Susan and Tim came around and brought sunshine and fairies with them..... and beer!

Great crowds, lots of sunshine, cool dewy mornings, warn afternoons, cold nights, one night of rain that brought lots of mud for Saturday, Mother Nature brought it all

I have lots of pictures, so many stories, lots of drama, and many warm memories. Much introspection this past week....

I appreciate all of you that have emailed me with concern over my current state of mind, or lack there of. Yes, I went on a bender, so to speak. I am still so frustrated with the ways of the world right now, but I have found a place to put all of that, so that I can deal with it in a more peaceful way.
My pal Susan brought her tarot cards over on the last day of Shakori and read my cards. Much affirmation of what I have already seen happening with my work, where I am, where I want to be. Lots to think about.

Shakori is a healing place and I feel so inspired, so hopeful for our younger generations, so proud of so many of our older generations and just happy to be awake this morning with so much promise of things to come

Peace ya'll.
more stories and pics to come.....

ps: our smart meter was replaced yesterday with an old school analog meter, one small victory for the little people :)

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Today I decided to make myself a prayer flag for my tent at Shakori. I want my tent to be serene and peaceful and full of all the spirit that Shakori brings.

It was a nice meditation, making this flag. All of the strips are from weaving projects and old clothing of ours, fabric given to me and much joy fills every strip of fabric. It might be nice if people want to add to it at Shakori with their own bits and pieces. I think I will make the offer and see what this becomes. It could be something quite special.

Here is the bane of my existence right now.......what an eyesore on the side of our house where we have the only bit of sun we can get to plant some vegetables. Ugly monster!

I'm happy to be going back outside for shows this year. Looks like we may have some rain on Friday, but even the rain doesn't really dampen spirits at Shakori, and I expect rain, it comes every year, so I just suck it up and get in a mental place for it. The sun shines there too, so it will be a nice weekend, either way. Gerry is on vacation, Wesley is coming home and they are going to start filming a documentary together, so if I only sell one necklace, I don't really care. There will be music, dancing, family, friends and good food. sustenance of life. Busy week ahead, props to make and buy, car to pack, more necklaces to make, and pricing to be done. Looking forward to the weekend already and this one isn't even over yet!
peace ya'll
xo

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Today was the first show of the year for me in Hillsborough at the historic Alexander Dixon house. The grounds were beautiful, the house wonderful, I had the best spot I have ever had at any show, right under a huge magnolia tree, on the end and near the music stage. It was a Carolina blue day, perfect perfect weather. Mother Nature at her finest. The Hillsborough Arts Council sponsored this show and the people that I dealt with were fantastic. Sales were not great, they were ok. Try and guess what sold... necklaces and Christmas tree ornaments. Go figure.....
I took your advise and sold the necklaces for $15, several people bought four of five at a time. You were right :)

This is the first organized show I have done since the CDCG show last November, when I was in a huge convention hall with horrible lighting, concrete floors, really bad music and very few sales. Plus everyone walking around at that show looked like they didn't even want to be there. Today, ladies had on their straw hats, kids were eating ice cream, the music was live and wonderful and the sun was shining on my face. Even if my sales were not where I would like them to be, it was a good day to be alive and not indoors! I had my fill of these outdoors shows for the past couple of years when almost every show I had paid for got rained out or turned out to be a ridiculous place to try and sell art, but today made up for it.

Does this happen to you? At every show, there is the "it" tent. It usually ends up beside me. Last time I did this show the "it" tent was the gourd lady that sold the most beautiful gourds for $20, I even bought one. Today it was the bag lady. Cute girl selling bags made of recycled coffee bags and reused fabrics. Very cool bags, $20 and she nearly sold out. I always sit there watching, studying, trying to figure out this phenomenon. A woman will be near starvation with little money for food, but by God, she will by jewelry, scarves and bags. I am totally making the wrong thing to be in this festival selling business!
If I had made more ornaments I would have been the it tent too, but silly me, I thought, who buys a Christmas tree in April?! I just put six of them out as a test to see how they would sell.

Apparently my little barns are still "wonderful, charming, amazing, lovely, " blah blah, one woman actually got right to the point and told me my prices were too high. She wasn't even referring to the ones I sell for $150, she meant the little raku one for $38. Holy crap, if that's too high, I just give up. I use copper carb and cobalt carb and lithium and tin, I told her she should look up a clay supplier and check prices of glaze chemicals these days, and then proceeded to try and explain the concept of raku and making clay work, but I think she just got lost when I mentioned the price of cobalt carbonate these days.

Anyway, it was a lovely day, my Hillsborough posse came over to see me, fellow artist/friends were selling there, it was good seeing my show pals and Mother Nature did her job healing my bruised soul after one really rough week.

Thanks to all of you that emailed me last week with your concerns, it was good to open a friendly email, instead of hate mail. I unsubscribed to the Chatham Chatlist, what a hateful thing that is. It literally made me physically ill by the end of the week, like I needed more things to screw with my mind and body. By Friday morning, let's just say my "system" was all f''d up.

Today we got in the mail our application and confirmation for a telephone line power meter. Small victory. When it is installed and I sleep through the night I will celebrate. This past week I slept from 12am-3am every night, except Thursday night I did not sleep one single hour. I had to pack and price everything on Friday and I was a walking zombie. Last night I went to bed at 8pm and slept until my power surge wakeup call at 3am. I spoke to Progress Energy and the lady I talked to actually admitted that the 10:30pm and the 3am things were probably related to their power surges.... hmmm.......

I worry for this planet, for what we are doing to it. Twenty five years ago I did not own a computer or a cell phone and now look where we are. What will our lives be like in twenty more years? It's scary to ponder that.............

Hope everyone has a beautiful week, I'm heading out to Shakori Grassroots Music Festival next week to hang with my peeps!

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Hi bloggers: Do you know why I love all of you? You are kind and supportive and intelligent! You care about your families, you care about art, you care about others, you care about your environment, you are open minded and share common goals, like good food, clean air and water, safe and healthy families, gentle living. You fight for what is right.I found out this week, naively, I might add, that not everyone is like you. I have been so used to coming here to my blog with questions, concerns, victories, failures, pride in my family, joys and sorrows. And you always lift me up, support me, and even if we do not share the same opinion, you express yours with consideration for my feelings. Most of you I have never met, but trust your opinions, even if they are not the same as mine I value them and find you to be good friends, if we only know each other through this blog.Last week I started posting on the chatham chatlist, I mentioned in a previous post. For the past few days, I have received hateful emails and today there were several posts on the chatlist condemning me and basically trying to make me look like a fool. I'll just give you a little taste of what I woke up to this morning:

It is clear from your message that you are one of those people who gets offended at the drop of a hat. It seems that your offense stems from the fact that you are one of the "toxic crusaders" that thinks everything in the world is terrible if humans touch it. Do I need to be the one to tell you that all computers pump out radio waves across a broad frequency spectrum, plus they do so in close proximity to your body? GET OFF THE COMPUTER, IT'LL SLOWLY MURDER YOU WITH SCIENCE!

The Chatlist is not a place for you to exercise histrionic behavior. I, for one, don't care whatsoever that you're "offended" by something you read in a mailing list, particularly something that wasn't really terribly outrageous. (It's not like someone said you should spray your neighbor's lawn with herbicide to get revenge on them, ya know?) If you are that easily offended, check the bottom of the Chatlist for the "unsubscribe" feature. While you're at it, get off the Internet and stop watching the news.

This goes on for quite awhile, it gets worse. There were several others. Boy, what a nice way to start my day! But then the emails started pouring in, mostly from women saying they are having the same symptoms as me. Yesterday one woman emailed me to say that she slept outside the night before to see if she could get some relief.

This was also a nice one I thought I would share:

It takes guts to post on the chat list these days. Lots of decent folks don't even read it any more because of the abusive language. Imagine the good that these naysayers could do in the world if they put their energy into something positive! The bulletin boards are even worse. Like a dark ally I don't dare go down. Depressing!

I want to thank you for raising my awareness of an issue I knew nothing about. I haven't yet read up on the subject but I certainly will (and of course will draw my own conclusion). I have a meter just through the wall behind my bed (about where my pillow is) and am actually experiencing quite a few of the symptoms you mentioned. So you got my attention.

The negative response you got is perhaps from folks who feel overwhelmed by all the threats in our everyday lives. Our food, air, water, vaccines, etc. etc. It is easier to dismiss it than to live in fear/stress. The attacks you have received probably aren't personal.

Your e-mails are well written. Your main point is very valid. You just want to be able to choose whether or not a box is attached to your house. This is reasonable! Period.

I am inspired by your courage and determination.

Rick's Turquoise

So, anyway, the drama continues, my "histrionics" I mean! I started keeping a journal last week of my symptoms. I wasn't paying much attention to it, but yesterday I looked back and I had posted every night at 10:30 that I was having heart palpitation, a headache, or arm tingling and one night I had a stabbing pain in the outer ligament part of my ear. Wesley had complained of this same pain a year ago and we took her to the doctor. They gave her a nose spray for it and it made her sick. So much for doctors figuring out these symptoms. She was misdiagnosed three years ago with Mono, and continued with a chronic fatigue until she moved to school. Her symptoms are gone, so I am still wondering what is going on in this house. Gerry has a ringing in his ears, we both wake up every night at 3am and I have all of this other stuff. All of these are common symptoms of RF wave exposure, from what I have read, again, I am not an expert, only trying to investigate what is going on.

The thing is, I am getting more and more emails from women saying they have the exact same symptoms. What do we all have in common? A smart meter.......

Lots worth reading. I'm still not saying I know for a fact there is any connection and I do not claim to be an expert, let me say that again! but all that I have read has convinced me that there is a possibility these are not safe and I would rather not take a chance, there is not enough evidence to prove them safe or not safe. Everyone has to decide for their self, but why I have been attacked for my opinion is beyond me!

Small sweet hearts

I regret I ever posted on the chatlist. It has made me sad all week to get the constant barrage of negative energy, like I need more of that. Not one person expressed any sympathy or concern for me. I did get some great emails from women and a couple of guys that I think were trying to be helpful by giving me information that rf waves are not harmful, however I'm still not convinced..... and I will never, for the life of me, understand mean people.......

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

I have a crush on raku again. It was bumming me out for awhile, but a break was good and once again I'm getting some good results. This might be the coolest pear I have ever fired. Not the best photo I have ever taken, but it was getting dark....Hearts and pears, jeez could I pick a more generic, common form? I need simplicity right now and these made me happy, making them and firing them. I don't care how simplistic they are, they look great and I am happy with them!

The smart meter drama continues. I am sort of possessed with this subject right now.
We have a community forum here in Chatham County called the Chatham Chatlist. Mostly it is informative and friendly and supports the community in a great way. But every now and then someone lights the fire and a battle begins. I seem to be the latest one lighting that fire. I have had some ridiculous emails, some helpful, some concerned for their health, the state of the country in general. The ones that have come out to slam my concerns seem to be mostly employees of the power company, related to an employee or someone that works with RF emissions and wants to convince themselves these emissions are safe, which they are not!
Here is the latest comment posted this morning. I got it at 3am because I mysteriously wake up every single night at 2 or 3am. So, I wrote a reply in my altered state of consciousness. Thought you might enjoy reading some southern humor. We got some bright stars here in the south!
By the way- GO TEXAS! Today there was a hearing in Austin to introduce legislation for an opt out program and laws to regulate these health hazards. If you want the thing, fine, just give everyone a choice!

Comment:

From: xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Subject: Re: Chatham Chatlist #4615

Meter mania has struck I see . I had a friend complain about a smart meter , his bill dropped $20 a month and someone put it in his head the thing was giving off mysterious waves that caused his prize bull to quit doing what bulls do . He also complained it killed the grass and shrubs near by . After all was said and done it was the herbicide the neighbor used to kill the weeds in her rose garden getting washed by rain down hill to drain by the power pole into the field . We all know ( it ) flows down hill and thats where it all starts and what ever object is in the damage path is to blame since HUMANS NEVER DO ANY WRONG . Its not always the the gun that kills , its the idiot with the gun , or in this case the gardener with the weed killer . People like to put blame on the thing because they dont know how to properly use it . Smart meters are no more dangerous than cell phones or any other device that utilizes some sort of wireless communication with other devices . In general people as a group are stupid , they dont read instructions and they dont do diligent research to see the differance between gossip and missinformation and cold hard facts before they point a finger . There is a lot and I mean a london load of missinformation out there about many things from guns to smart meters . If we ban the use of everything thought to kill people we would be back in the stone ages in a weeks time .

People are stupid , but individuals are often intelligent when they take time to learn the facts , see how the thing works , understand it doesnt have a mind of its own and make a decesion to either leave the thing alone , let others enjoy its use or to learn to use it properly and enjoy its use in the way it was designed to be used . My opinion is your more likely to get sick from a Mc Flippin super greasy cheeseburger than living near a smart meter ,, but thats just me , I have researched both , my fat belly tells me the burgers are bad for me , my lower light bill lets me know smart meters are a good thing ;) Goodnite Mark :)

my reply:

I just have to say, I found the comment below not only ignorant but personally offensive as well. Heart disease and diabetes from fast food is a serious matter. Toxic herbicides that poison our air, soil and water is a serious matter. Cancer is a serious matter and we are being assaulted with harmful carcinogens in our food, air, water, and soil every single day. New cancer treatment centers are popping up faster than this country's beloved Walmart stores.

I do not have "meter mania". I am simply asking for a choice when it comes to whether or not I want a meter attached to my house that emits RF waves that have been designated by the World Health Organization as a class 2B carcinogen. I can choose not to eat unhealthy food, I can choose not to smoke cigarettes, I can choose not to use a cell phone or a microwave. I can choose not to own a gun, I can choose not to use pesticides. But someone came and attached a meter that pulses rf waves continuously around my home without my consent or knowledge and I would like to have been given the option to refuse. That's all I'm saying. If you choose to live in ignorant bliss of the toxic wasteland we continue to create that is YOUR choice, if you choose to ignore the science of eating unhealthy so be it, but you have the choice to do so. We should be given the option to NOT have these meters if we so choose, and not have them forced upon us. Today Texas will hold a hearing on legeslation for an opt out program for smart meters. If there were enough people in Texas concerned over these meters that their state senator drafted a bill to protect them, I would say there is cause to consider the safety of the smart meter.

I'm just asking for an opt out choice. I'm not trying to prove or disprove the health issues, although I have done enough research to know that I have doubts and do not want this thing on my house. As for the lower bill? Our habits have not changed and yet our bill steadily increases each year. This year by several hundred dollars. Why does everyone keep saying these smart meters are money saving?

Your comment just makes me feel sad and hopeless, because there are so many more just like you and we truly need a more enlightened society these days....

Ps: "People" are not stupid, they can be poorly educated, uninformed, or ignorant of factual evidence, but everyone has the potential to be brilliant if they are given the opportunity and make the effort.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Last year I was packed and heading to Hillsborough for the Arts and Crafts show, listening to reports on the radio of tornadoes in the area.... so I turned my car around and went home. The weather was fierce that day, and of course the show got cancelled. There went my show fees. However, they kindly offered me a free space at the Hog Days Festival, an unfortunate name for a barbeque event in May. At that show I think I made about $30, might have been less, I blocked it out. That was the beginning of my thoughts that I would never do another outdoor show. But then I did an indoor show, and that was even worse. So, here I am once again, scheduled to be at the Hillsborough Arts and Crafts Festival this coming Saturday. Come on over if you are in the area. So far, it looks like we will have good weather, it's such a crap shoot isn't it?!
Thanks to the poster makers for using my artwork!

News of my smart meter hell:
I am a refugee in my house, certain parts of the house bring on headaches and tingling, what joy! So I try to stay out of those rooms.
I spoke with the kindest customer service person EVER at Progress Energy today and she spent almost an hour digging for info about the Total Meter program, a phone line communications program that I can opt for. Now why don't they just use phone lines altogether? Makes more sense to me..... as of now, they are sending me paperwork to fill out and request said meter. We shall see...........

Saturday, April 6, 2013

May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire,so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it.And may light shine out of the two eyes of you,like a candle set in the window of a house,bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.And may the blessing of the rain be on you,may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean,and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines,and sometimes a star.And may the blessing of the earth be on you,soft under your feet as you pass along the roads,soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day;and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it.May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God.And now may the Lord bless you, and bless you kindly. Amen.

Friday, April 5, 2013

I'm probably going to lose readers cuz I know ya'll would rather hear about beautiful art being made, but I am coming unglued over this power company thing, sorry! I'll take a break, I promise!

It's becoming apparent to me that we are losing more and more rights as a citizen in this country and nobody seems able to fight it. I have discovered that if I don't want to do business with Progress Energy, I have very little choice to go somewhere else. Same is true with many corporate offerings in this country. We are becoming a nation of monopolized business, big mean business.

Here is what I have learned this week from just waking up the other day with yet another odd headache:

1. I have a smart meter on my house that was installed without my knowledge or consent
2. It sends out RF pulse emissions 6-8 seconds around the clock on the other side of the wall from my kitchen where all my food is and directly below our bedrooms where we are exposed for sometimes 12 hours at a time. Also now, it is above the area where we have planted seeds
3. RF Emissions have been deemed a possible carcinogen/cancer causing agent by the World Health Organization
4. I contacted UL verification services, who promptly got back to me and said that these meters, unless clearly marked, are not UL listed, mine is not, meaning it is a fire hazard. Many insurance home owners policies will NOT cover your loss if your smart meter burns down your house.....
5. I have been told I do not have a choice. However I contacted the environmental department at Progress and quoted the Energy Policy Act of 2005 where the law clearly states that Utility companies are required to offer this sickness equipment, then I asked if they realized that these meters were not UL listed and they did NOT know that! Imagine...... the woman I spoke to at 11am yesterday said that she thought I had an opt out option and she would call me right back................still waiting..............

I have done a LOT of reading over the past 48 hours, enough to know that I do not want this thing on my house. Much of what I read in support of these meters, the ones saying all is well, seems to be from people with dollars at stake if these things were pulled from the market, hello? Propaganda?
Other reading would indicate that I am one of those nasty "tree huggers" "granolas" "activists" "conspiracy theorists".... well so what if I am? Why the name calling for people that are trying to protect our environment? I never understand that. Why is a tree hugger considered a derogatory term by those bullies?
I have read hundreds of stories of people getting sick from these meters, enough to know, there is doubt about their safety. Get it the hell off my house!

Sigh.............. if you are still reading, I read the nicest blog post this morning on Carter Gilles pottery blog. I am feeling pretty beat up, fighting Goliath and I needed these words. One sentence that is sticking with me this morning is this:

" They (the quiet artists) could have ..........resigned themselves to consuming only other people's ideas, survived on only predigested morsels and gone creatively to sleep for all eternity. They did not, nor I suspect did you."
Here is a salute to all of us who are not resigning ourselves to ideas being forced upon us!!!!!